Press Release
June 29, 2018

Lacson: Authorities duty-bound to enforce law vs jueteng, illegal gambling
More at: https://pinglacson.net/2018/06/29/authorities-duty-bound-to-enforce-law-vs-jueteng-illegal-gambling/

Authorities, including the Philippine National Police, are duty-bound to enforce the law against illegal gambling, including jueteng.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson stressed this Friday as he noted Republic Act 9287 outlaws such illegal activities.

"There is an existing law declaring jueteng, among other forms of gambling, as illegal, and it is not exempt from being pursued by law enforcement authorities. It also breeds corruption among law enforcement agencies," said Lacson, who headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001.

Besides, he warned even pausing anti-jueteng operations could be "risky and addicting" for police officials who may get offers from jueteng operators.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte, who was earlier quoted as saying he might allow jueteng operations for now, may have meant he wanted to prioritize illegal drugs over illegal gambling, if there is compelling reason.

"Maybe what PRRD meant was to prioritize illegal drugs over illegal gambling if there is compelling reason to do so. There can be no legal justification not to arrest an offender who is committing a crime in the presence of a law enforcer, be it a drug offender or an illegal gambler," Lacson said.

Lacson also stressed police personnel are mandated to enforce the law, and can only follow legal orders.

Because of this, he said police personnel "should be ready for the consequences if they follow illegal orders from anybody, not from their superiors, not from their commander-in-chief."

Following illegal orders from their superiors, including their commander-in-chief, "is not a valid legal defense in court," Lacson added.

Lacson consistently refused offers of bribe money from gambling operators, from the time he served as provincial director of the Laguna provincial police in 1992.

He recalled that on the eve of his assumption of command, he received offers from operators of P1.2 million a month, in exchange for allowing jueteng to operate. Lacson firmly declined the offer.

Lacson would maintain this no-take stance against illegal gambling up to the time he served as PNP chief.

"Human experience would tell us how petty corruption morphs into something big, then bigger and bigger, until a person mostly clothed with official authority doesn't know anymore how and when to stop. Worse, from monthly takes courtesy of gambling operators, he shifts to a much bigger protection money from smugglers, drug lords, and the like. And before anybody realizes it, the whole country is faced with serious national security and economic problems," he said.

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